This will be my 18th year. My 10th year, I suddenly lost my voice. Again the 11th, Again the 12th. Got an arsenal of allergy meds & was ok the 13th year. 14th year, didn't quite do as well, although I was using year old meds and was less diligent about keeping them at a cool temp. to get to the point, last year not even an arsenal of prednezone (misspelled, I'm sure) could help after it started. Anyone have any super-duper advice on this? (My plan thus far is to try a cortizone shot this year, as well as whatever else they will let me take along with it)-

I used one 1 year- found 2 problems...the strain on my neck from the weight got to me after a while,No one can hear me speak! (one of our camp engineers is working on a personal PA I can keep inside a dust mask, but I still need to eat & drink...?!@#$%^&*

You might have someone do an allergy test with playa dust to see if it is an allergy responsive to meds. There is biological material in playa dust that could trigger an allergic response. Not sure if the inorganics could. Perhaps the inorganic salts are causing laryngitis by simple chemical irritation?

Maybe someone here can refer you to an actual medical professional. You can bring to them the info in the "composition of playa dust" thread.

your comment may not be medical advice, but it makes a lot of sense! There is something more at work than just the allergy. A kind friend sent me to a fancy-shmancy beverly hills specialist- I saw my vocal chords on video, & they don't 'seam' up properly. I think my problem is a combination of inflammation from allergy, & 'misaligned' vocal chords to begin with (I do have a bit of a rasp)- I need to keep the inflammation down, and keep phlegm free.

I had allergys and started taking lobelia , helped my lungs alot. My son was born with asthma and the doc's said he had to have this mist thing and all the time and meds , I gave him the lobelia once and no more asthma , and now hes a healthy 28 year old.

“Two of my favorite things are sitting on my front porch smoking a pipe of sweet hemp, and playing my Hohner harmonica.” - Abraham Lincoln (from a letter written by Lincoln during his presidency to the head of the Hohner Harmonica Company in Germany)

its a herb , use take a small amount each day and it removes all blockages. If ya take to much will give ya shits. Its in a tincture , sometimes these use aplle cider vinegar , but mostly alchol. I take about a 3rd of a eyedropper full a day a couple mths before allergy season and Im good. Ya can get it at herb stores abot 17.00 to 24.00 dollars a bottle , went to local shopping center and found them in seed form , they are a flower. Bought a bunch to make my own.

“Two of my favorite things are sitting on my front porch smoking a pipe of sweet hemp, and playing my Hohner harmonica.” - Abraham Lincoln (from a letter written by Lincoln during his presidency to the head of the Hohner Harmonica Company in Germany)

tatonka wrote:its a herb , use take a small amount each day and it removes all blockages. If ya take to much will give ya shits. I

I throw a damn party if I can shit out there! Sign me up!

it works real well for that , but I only use it before the asthma kicks in. my lungs are clr and my blood pressure is same as when I was in my 20's

“Two of my favorite things are sitting on my front porch smoking a pipe of sweet hemp, and playing my Hohner harmonica.” - Abraham Lincoln (from a letter written by Lincoln during his presidency to the head of the Hohner Harmonica Company in Germany)

I lose half my voice out there, at least every other year. Having a Greeter shift (and a fondness for being mask-less) makes it worse.

I'm really well hydrated, so that's not the problem. This year, I'm going to experiment with daily vinegar gargles and eating a spoon full of honey now and again to see if I can keep the irritation down. And yes, maybe wearing my mask a little more.

*** 2016 Survival Guide ***"I must've lost it when I was twerking at the trash fence." -- BBadger

yep- may I also recommend shots of straight lemon juice? These 2 young lovely japanese women, who didn't speak a word of english, came by our camp some years ago & gave us all all a quirt of pure lemon juice...(although, to be responsible, I don't recommend taking candy from stangers), but in this case it was the ticket! Just make sure your radar is in tact...

anyway, alkaline dust like playa dust isnt a true "allergy", it is an irritant and certainly some people are more subject to problems than others. You do what you can. A few statements that may help

antihistamines are unlikely to help at all.

steroids are likely to help, but have side effects of course. using topical steroids will likely help but they arent as effective as those taken orally. Here's what I would do

Get flonase and azmacort and use both the whole time, flonase is a nasal steroid and azmacort is a steriod lung puffer. they have basically no side effects if used for a week or so.get some oral steroid pills to take if you have a flare up and an albuterol inhaler, both are cheap and safe if you just use them should there be a crisis.

probably the most important thing to consider, and my suspicion from your short post, is that it may not be the dust alone, or the dust as much as you think.... other things are different on the playa, not just dust. your diet is different, you are likely drinking on odd schedules and eating on odd schedules. By far the most common cause of losing your voice and having terrible throat problems come on suddently and unexpectedly is laryngopharyngeal reflux. You dont need heartburn or indigestion symptoms and it may be hard to prove if it is a factor or not, but it is easy to treat.

I would get OTC Zegerid antacid, buy the 3 pak of 42 its cheaper. Take two of them (40 mg) about a half hour before you lay down to go to sleep every time without fail regardless of if you are having voice problems or breathing problems or heartburn or indigestion. I bet this advice would help more than anything else, but wanted to adress the dust first since you feel like it is the problem, and you may be right (or partially right as there can be coconspiring issues).

anyway, alkaline dust like playa dust isnt a true "allergy", it is an irritant and certainly some people are more subject to problems than others. You do what you can. A few statements that may help

antihistamines are unlikely to help at all.

steroids are likely to help, but have side effects of course. using topical steroids will likely help but they arent as effective as those taken orally. Here's what I would do

Get flonase and azmacort and use both the whole time, flonase is a nasal steroid and azmacort is a steriod lung puffer. they have basically no side effects if used for a week or so.get some oral steroid pills to take if you have a flare up and an albuterol inhaler, both are cheap and safe if you just use them should there be a crisis.

probably the most important thing to consider, and my suspicion from your short post, is that it may not be the dust alone, or the dust as much as you think.... other things are different on the playa, not just dust. your diet is different, you are likely drinking on odd schedules and eating on odd schedules. By far the most common cause of losing your voice and having terrible throat problems come on suddently and unexpectedly is laryngopharyngeal reflux. You dont need heartburn or indigestion symptoms and it may be hard to prove if it is a factor or not, but it is easy to treat.

I would get OTC Zegerid antacid, buy the 3 pak of 42 its cheaper. Take two of them (40 mg) about a half hour before you lay down to go to sleep every time without fail regardless of if you are having voice problems or breathing problems or heartburn or indigestion. I bet this advice would help more than anything else, but wanted to adress the dust first since you feel like it is the problem, and you may be right (or partially right as there can be coconspiring issues).

When the only tool you got is a hammer, every problem looks like a hippie.

Mmmmmm I love the smell of Burning Man - Token

Getting overly dramatic about the ticket sale process is so 2012. - Maladroit

You may also want to look into stepping up whatever you use as a dust mask or respirator. While basic stuff often does the necessary blocking and tackling for most folks, the particulates in the alkali dust are finer than a lot of filters can actually get. Since your system's a bit more delicate and sensitive to the irritation, you need to find a way to reduce the amount getting into your system. I've been told that ideally you want to look specifically for masks and respirators made for contractors doing drywall installation (the recently closed plant in Empire was used for making drywall). Good luck!

“Two of my favorite things are sitting on my front porch smoking a pipe of sweet hemp, and playing my Hohner harmonica.” - Abraham Lincoln (from a letter written by Lincoln during his presidency to the head of the Hohner Harmonica Company in Germany)

alexamonkey wrote:yep- may I also recommend shots of straight lemon juice?

Indeed you may. Lemon juice and vinegar have very similar effects, so yes--I might do either or both this time around.

I use lemon on my skin already. I just keep forgetting to treat the inside of my head.

I like to us lemon and red wine vinegar sweeten with steva in water.. Mix 1/2 gal. water, four tbsp lemon juice, four tbsp vinegar and one tsp steva. Add a small packet of Electro Mix (brand name) and you have a great Gatoraid for cheap.. With no sugar added. I down one of these in the morning before heading out on the playa.. Ready for another in the heat of the afternoon..

I thought I just lost my voice due to talking/yelling/laughing too much! The last two years I've been hoarse: in 2011 I completely lost my voice by Thursday, and in 2012 I didn't even last until the gates opened.

I'm going to try the lemon juice& honey. It works for sore throats. And, yah, no way is Not Going an option!

tatonka wrote:its a herb , use take a small amount each day and it removes all blockages. If ya take to much will give ya shits. I

I throw a damn party if I can shit out there! Sign me up!

IF U REALLY WANT TO SHIT- IT'S SIMPLE- FOR DAILY PLAYA MAINTENANCE, GET SOMETHING CALLED "MAGIC FIBER" -FROM A COMPANY CALLED NEW SPIRIT- 'DIS FIBER AIN'T NO JOKE! TO SOLVE A 'BLOCKAGE', BRING PINK SALT (ST. ANDES, IF POSSIBLE)- PUT A BUNCH IN AT LEAST 2 QUARTS OF WATER (AMOUNTS VARY- CHECK OUT YOU SYSTEM, & ADJUST ACCORDINGLY- SOME NEED 1/2 TEASPOON, SOME, A TABLESPOON OR MORE)- & DRINK ALL DAT SHIZ-NIT WITHIN A FEW MINUTES. BE NEAR A TOILET WITHIN A HALF HOUR, & EXPERIENCE A CLEARING LIKE U NEVER CLEARED BEFORE! (GET SOME SALT, DO IT AT HOME FIRST, JUST A SUGGESTION)- AGAIN, PINK SALT, ST. ANDES IF POSSIBLE, LOTS OF WATER QUICKLY, SHIT AWAY!